Pelosi: No Hill OK needed in Iraq

The White House doesn’t need congressional authority to send airstrikes to help the Iraqi government combat Islamic militants, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday.

Pelosi, along with other congressional leaders, met with President Barack Obama on Wednesday to discuss his plans for Iraq. The White House is reportedly weighing airstrikes or other military action to help Baghdad combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

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“The president does not need any additional congressional authority to act upon measures for our national security,” she said, adding that she was not in support of putting “boots on the ground.”

“Generally speaking, I think that you have to be careful about sending special forces, because it’s a number that has a tendency to grow, because I would like to see the context, purpose, timeline and the rest for anything like that,” she said.

Pelosi also added to the criticism of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has been accused of excluding the Sunni minority from the government.

“It’s clear that the government of Iraq must work for a political solution, including discussions with all, not ignoring any sectarian differences within their country,” she said.

But the California Democrat is not willing to work with Iran on Iraq, she said. The White House has said it won’t share military strategy with Tehran but it may discuss the terrorist group with Iran. Both countries are interested in stopping ISIL’s crusade.

“I’m not one who is interested in working with Iran on this. I think you have to be open about where you can get support, but I don’t have the confidence level. Right now, we’re trying to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon,” she said.